Trump should not be welcomed in the UK, say MPs and campaigners

The harsh reactions were pouring on Tuesday right after the palace of Britain’s queen and the government office confirmed that Trump will be in the UK on June 3 for a three-day state visit. A White House spokesman also confirmed the trip, saying Trump will use the occasion to participate in a World War II memorial ceremony in Portsmouth.

Parliament lawmakers and campaigners called for boycotting the visit, saying the “dishonest, xenophobic” figure should not be viewed as a friend of Britain.

Deluded, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic, Donald Trump is no friend of Britain. He is not fit to hold public office, let alone worthy of our country’s highest honours and a banquet with the Queen. Theresa May is selling out the UK to a serial liar and a cheat.

The UK government, however, hailed the trip as an opportunity to deepen UK-US relations and said unlike Trump’s previous non-state visit in July 2018, which met with huge protests across the country, the upcoming one would be a state visit involving considerable ceremony and time with the British monarch.

The full state visit is based on an official invitation by British Prime Minister Theresa May when she travelled to Washington in January 2017 to be the first foreign leader to visit Trump after he took office.

Campaigners and politicians have repeatedly criticized May for extending the invitation, saying London should not waste its money offering hospitality to a figure whose policies have proven to be very divisive.

Some 18 million pounds were spent on Trump’s last visit to the UK with most of it dedicated to policing protests in London and other areas which drew tens of thousands of people.